Diverting flow in a kill mud circulation system to regulate kill mud pressure

ABSTRACT

Killing a well by diverting flow in a drilling fluid circulation system to maintain kill mud pressure in a discharge piping during the well kill operation. It is determined that a target pressure of the kill mud in the discharge piping is not satisfied by a pressure of the kill mud discharged by a pump into the discharge piping. In response, a pressure of the kill mud is adjusted by at least partially opening a pressure control device to release kill mud into a bypass piping.

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityto U.S. application Ser. No. 14/236,061, filed Jan. 29, 2014, which is aU.S. National Stage Application of International Application No.PCT/US/2013/031003, filed Mar. 13, 2013.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to circulating drilling fluid through surfacepumps and piping and in well bores.

BACKGROUND

In well bore drilling situations that use a drilling rig, a drillingfluid circulation system circulates (or pumps) drilling fluid (forexample, drilling mud) with one or more mud pumps. For example, thedrilling fluid circulation system can move drilling mud down into thewell bore through special pipe (referred to in the art as drill pipe),and drill collars which are connected to the drill sting. The fluidexits through ports (jets) in the drill bit, picking up cuttings andcarrying the cuttings up the annulus of the well bore. The mud pump cantake suction from mud tanks and can pump mud out discharge piping, upthe stand pipe, through rotary hoses, through Kelly or top drive unit,and into a central bore of the drill pipe, drill collars, and bit. Mudand cuttings return to the surface up annulus. At the surface, the mudand cuttings leave the well bore through an outlet, and can be sent to acuttings removal system via mud return line. At the end of the returnlines, mud and cutting can be flowed onto a vibrating screen known inthe art as a Shale Shaker. Finer solids can be removed by a sand trap.The mud may be treated with chemicals stored in a chemical tank and canthen be provided into the mud tank, where the process can be repeated.

The drilling fluid circulation system delivers large volumes of mud flowunder pressure for drilling rig operations. For example, the circulationsystem can deliver the mud to the drill stem to flow down the string ofdrill pipe and out through the drill bit appended to the lower end ofthe drill stem. In addition to cooling the drill bit, the mudhydraulically washes away the face of the well bore through a set ofopenings in the drill bit. The mud additionally washes away debris, rockchips, and cuttings, which are generated as the drill bit advances. Thecirculation system can flow the mud in an annular space on the outsideof the drill stem and on the interior of the open hole formed by thedrilling process. In this manner, the circulation system can flow themud through the drill bit and out of the well bore.

The mud flows through the drill stem and the annular space at asufficient velocity to move debris, chips and cuttings, which areheavier than the mud, to the surface. The velocity of the mud shouldalso be sufficient to cool the drill bit. The wellhead pressures at thepump are sufficiently high to flow the mud at the desired velocity andalso to overcome substantial flow pressure resistance along the flowpath. In some situations, the circulation system can flow the mudthrough the drill bit and the well bore at high volumetric flow rates(for example, 500 to 1,000 gallons per minute) and at pressures as highas 5,000 PSI. If drilling fluid flows into the well bore and up theannulus or inside the drill pipe due to an imbalance in drilling mudpressure, then a phenomenon known as kick can result. If the well is notshut in, a kick can escalate into a blowout when the formation fluidsreach the surface.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example drilling fluid circulationsystem that includes a pressure control device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of the computer system toregulate drilling fluid pressure in the drilling fluid circulationsystem.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example process of regulating drilling fluidpressure in the drilling fluid circulation system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example architecture of the computersystem of FIG. 1.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes a system and method for diverting flow in adrilling fluid circulation system to regulate drilling fluid pressure.The system and the method described in this disclosure can beimplemented as part of killing a well, i.e., to prevent an impendingblowout on a well being drilled, for example, with constant bottom holepressure. The Driller's method is an example method to kill the well inwhich the drilling fluid is circulated in the well twice. In the firstcirculation, the influx is circulated out with the original mud weight.Constant bottom hole pressure is maintained by holding circulating drillpipe pressure constant through the first circulation. If the originalmud weight is insufficient to balance the formation pressure, the wellis killed by circulating a heavier mud (kill mud) in a secondcirculation.

To hold constant bottom hole pressure during the second circulation, oneof two methods can be implemented. In one method, the casing pressure isheld constant while pumping kill mud from surface to bit, and drill pipepressure is held constant thereafter until kill mud is observedreturning to the surface. Alternatively, during second circulation, adrill pipe pressure schedule can be calculated and followed whilepumping kill mud from surface to bit, and drill pipe pressure canthereafter be held constant.

The Wait and Weight method is another example method to kill the well inwhich the drilling fluid is circulated once. The influx is circulatedout, and the kill mud is pumped in one circulation. While pumping killmud from surface to bit, a drill pipe pressure schedule is calculatedand followed. The drill pipe pressure is held constant thereafter untilkill mud is observed returning to the surface.

The techniques described in this disclosure can be implemented tomaintain the drilling fluid pressure in the piping through which thedrilling fluid flows according to the drill pipe pressure schedule. Forexample, in the first and second circulations of the Driller's method, acomputer-implemented method can be implemented to maintain drillingfluid pressure in discharge piping connected to an inlet of the wellbore according to the drilling pipe pressure schedule by operating apressure control device to automatically divert drilling fluid from thedischarge piping, for example, to the mud pits, through bypass piping.Also, for example, in the circulation of the Wait and Weight method, thecomputer-implemented method can be implemented to automatically divertdrilling fluid away from the discharge piping to maintain the drillingfluid pressure according to the drill pipe pressure schedule. Inaddition, the rates at which the drilling fluid is diverted can bemeasured and provided as input to a curve fit function (described below)to calculated flow rates at which the drilling fluid is diverted awayfrom the discharge piping. The diverted flow rates can be used tocalibrate the flow, for example, as an alternative to or in addition tousing turbine flow meters. In this manner, the techniques described herecan be implemented for well control for kicks/influx in which slow pumprates are obtained and recorded, and then used to calculate a divertedflow rate. The techniques can also be used to automate either theDriller's Method or the Wait and Weight Method (or both).

According to implementations of the techniques described herein, thedrilling fluid can be automatically diverted to the mud pits instead ofhaving the driller do so by modifying the injection flow rate. TheDriller's method of well control can also be automated. Similarly, theWait and Weight method of well control can also be automated. The methodto achieve and record slow pump rates can be automated. The calculationof diverted flow rate can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example drilling fluid circulationsystem 100 that includes a pressure control device 104. A well bore 102can be drilled in the ground using a drill bit 114 attached to adownhole end of a drill string 115. The drill string 115 can beconnected to discharge piping 24 from the discharge of at least onesurface drilling fluid pump 30 to the Kelly or top drive system 33. Thedischarge piping 24, which connects the drilling fluid pump 30 and aninlet of the wellbore 102, can be, for example, a metal conduit that ispart of a piping system mud pump discharge pressure pathway for drillingfluid (for example, drilling mud) to travel to the drill bit 114attached to the downhole end of the drill string 115. The dischargepiping 24 can include a drilling rig standpipe 26. In someimplementations, the pressure control device 104 (for example, a rigpump diverter (RPD) manifold valve) can have an inlet connected todischarge piping 24 and have an outlet connected to a mud return line60, for example, via bypass piping 105. The pump 30 is operable todischarge drilling fluid through the discharge piping 24 at a drillingfluid flow rate.

The drilling fluid circulation system 100 and the pressure controldevice 104 can be connected to a computer system 106 disposed at thesurface to regulate drilling fluid pressure in the drilling fluidcirculation system 100. The computer system 106 (for example, a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a computer serversystem, and the like) can include a computer-readable medium 108 storingcomputer instructions executable by a processor 110 to divert flow inthe drilling fluid circulation system 100 to regulate drilling fluidpressure.

In some implementations, the computer system 106 can receive pressuremeasurement signals representative of a pressure of the drilling fluidin the discharge piping 24. The computer system 106 can determine that atarget pressure parameter of the drilling fluid in the discharge piping24 is not satisfied. In response, the computer system 106 can adjust thepressure control device 104 to modify the pressure of the drilling fluidin the discharge piping to approach the target pressure parameter. To doso, the computer system 106 can at least partially open the pressurecontrol device 104 and release drilling fluid into the bypass piping 105at a selected flow rate. The computer system 106 can modify the drillingfluid flow rate in the discharge piping 24 based on the pressurerepresented by the pressure measurement signals and the selected flowrate in the bypass piping 105 such that the target pressure parameter ofthe drilling fluid in the discharge piping 24 is satisfied.

As used in this disclosure, the drilling rig standpipe 26 is intended toencompass any of the discharge piping 24 from the discharge of the mudpump 30 to the Kelly or top drive system 33 attached to the drill string115, and can include any portion of the piping between the discharge andKelly or top drive system 33. Therefore, it will be understood that theterms standpipe pressure and standpipe flow rate could be measuredanywhere along the discharge piping 24 between the discharge of the mudpump 30 and the Kelly/top drive 33. The flow rate in the dischargepiping 24 may alternatively or additionally be determined based on knownflow rate methods for calculation of the output flow of mud pump 30based on speed and cylinder displacement for a positive displacement mudpump.

The target pressure parameter in the discharge piping 24 can correspondto a drill pipe pressure schedule according to which the drilling fluidpump 30 discharges the drilling fluid through the discharge piping 30.For example, the drill pipe pressure schedule can be the scheduledetermined for the Driller's method or Wait and Weight method to killthe well. The computer system 106 can modify the drilling fluid flowrate in the discharge piping 24 based on the pressure represented by thepressure measurement signals and the selected flow rate to satisfy thedrill pipe pressure schedule.

In some implementations, the computer system 106 can determine theselected flow rate at which the pressure control device 104 at leastpartially opens to release the drilling fluid. To do so, the computersystem 106 can identify one or more of multiple data pairs stored on acomputer-readable storage medium (for example, the database 120). Eachdata pair includes a flow rate of drilling fluid through the bypasspiping 105 and a pressure in the bypass piping 105 at the flow rate. Thecomputer system 106 can obtain the multiple data pairs stored on thedatabase 120 by measuring multiple flow rates of drilling fluid flowingthrough the bypass piping 105 and measuring multiple respectivepressures in the bypass piping 105, each pressure measured for acorresponding flow rate. The computer system 106 can then store themeasured multiple flow rates and pressures on the database 120 as themultiple data pairs.

The computer system 106 can provide the flow rate of drilling fluidthrough the bypass piping and the pressure in the bypass piping includedin each identified data pair as an input to a curve fit function. Thecomputer system 106 can execute the curve fit function to determine theselected flow rate at which the pressure control device 104 is to be atleast partially opened to release the drilling fluid.

An example of the curve fit function that can be implemented tocalculate the diverted flow rate from the discharge pressure is providedbelow as pseudo-code.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////      Calculations Begin     //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //SPPbelow which flow will be set to zero in PSIG .. change with each wellSPPWhereFlowIsEffectivelyZero = 300 //power fit equation parameters ..change with each well get from matlab C0 = 0.1836 C1 = 1.8093 C2 =256.0744 // operator don't change below here PastFlowRateGPM = 0WHILE(1) // Run Forever    RTIN_GBRPDData(1)    RTIN_TimeSDLFast(1)//    if we are bypassing the flowmeter data and we are in a connection   IF ( GBRPDStep != 0) //      we will calculate the flow based on SPP      IF (GBSPP > SPPWhereFlowIsEffectivelyZero )          BypassFlowOut=          EXPONENT((LOGN((GBSPP−C2)/C0))/C1)          IF (BypassFlowOut< 0)             BypassFlowOut = 0          END          IF(BypassFlowOut > 300)             BypassFlowOut = PastFlowRateGPM         END       ELSE          BypassFlowOut = 0       END    ELSE      BypassFlowOut = BypassFlowIn       IF (BypassFlowIn < 0)         BypassFlowOut = 0       END    END    PastFlowRateGPM =NonNegFlow // use injection flow as measured when not in a connection ornot bypassing    NonNegFlow = FlowIn    IF ( FlowIn < 5)      NonNegFlow = 0       BypassFlowOut = 0    END    IF ( GBRPDStep >5)       IF (GBRPDStep < 13)          NonNegFlow = 0         BypassFlowOut = 0       END    END    IF ( GBRPDStep == 13)      IF (NonNegFlow == 0)          NonNegFlow = 1         BypassFlowOut = 1       END    END // the first pass throughhas all 0's for the outputs. Do not write this to db    IF ( FirstCalc== 1)       PRINT(       “=====================================”)      PRINT(“ RPD Step = ”,GBRPDStep)       PRINT(“ Flow In = ”, FlowIn)      PRINT(“ Non Neg Flow = ”,NonNegFlow)       PRINT(“ Bypass Flow =”,BypassFlowOut)       OUT_NONNEGFLOW(1, 2, 1)       OUT_BYPASSFLOW(1,2, 1)       PRINT(       “=====================================”)   ELSE       FirstCalc = 1    END       SLEEP(1000) END // EndReal-Time While Loop

In some implementations, the selected flow rate can be determined byexecuting the curve fit function at different time instants. Thedrilling fluid pressure can vary according to the drill pipe pressureschedule over the different time instants. At each time instant of thedifferent time instants, the computer system 106 can execute the curvefit function to determine the drilling fluid pressure that will satisfythe drill pipe pressure schedule at that time instant. For example, thecomputer system 106 can determine a first pressure according to thedrilling pipe pressure schedule at a first time instant. The computersystem 106 can identify at least one data pair that includes a flow rateof drilling fluid through the bypass piping 105 and the first pressureat the first time instant. The computer system 106 can provide the flowrate and the first pressure to the curve fit function and determine theselected flow rate at which the pressure control device 104 shouldrelease the drilling fluid to maintain the pressure at the first timeinstant.

Subsequently, the computer system 106 can determine a second pressureaccording to the drilling pipe pressure schedule at a second timeinstant. The computer system 106 can identify a data pair that includesa flow rate of the drilling fluid through the bypass piping 105 and thesecond pressure at the second time instant. The computer system 106 canprovide the flow rate and the second pressure to the curve fit functionand determined a modified drilling fluid flow rate at which the pressurecontrol device 104 should release the drilling fluid to maintain thepressure at the second time instant. In this manner, the computer system106 can implement the techniques described here over multiple timeinstants.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of the computer system 106to regulate drilling fluid pressure in the drilling fluid circulationsystem. The computer system 106 can include a receiver 202 and atransmitter 204, each of which can be in electronic communication withthe processor 110. The computer system 106 can cause the receiver 202 toreceive signals from the drilling fluid circulation system 100 and thewell bore 102. For example, the signals can be pressure measurementsignals representative of the pressure of the drilling fluid circulatedthrough the drilling fluid circulation system 100. The computer system106 can include a transmitter 204 that is in electronic communicationwith the processor 110. The computer system 106 can cause thetransmitter 204 to transmit control signals to at least partially openthe pressure control device 104 to release the drilling fluid at aselected flow rate, for example, the selected flow rate determined asdescribed above.

In some implementations, the drilling fluid circulation system 100 caninclude a flow meter (not shown) that is connected to the bypass piping105 or the discharge piping 24. The flow meter can be connected to thepressure control device 104 to measure a flow rate at which the pressurecontrol device 104 releases the drilling fluid. The computer system 106can be connected to the flow meter to receive the flow rate measured bythe flow meter. The computer system 106 can compare the flow ratemeasured by the flow meter to the selected flow rate determined asdescribed above. In this manner, the computer system 106 can implement afeedback system for the selected flow rate.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example process 300 of regulating drillingfluid pressure in the drilling fluid circulation system. The process 300can be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on acomputer-readable medium (for example, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium) and executed by one or more data processingapparatus (for example, a processor). For example, the process 300 canbe implemented by the computer system 106. At 302, pressure measurementsignals representative of a pressure of a drilling fluid in dischargepiping is received. The drilling fluid is discharged by at least onedrilling fluid pump into a discharge piping at a drilling fluid flowrate. The drilling fluid pump has an inlet connected to the dischargepiping and has an outlet connected to bypass piping.

At 304, it is determined that a target pressure parameter of thedrilling fluid in the discharge piping is not satisfied. The targetpressure parameter in the discharge piping can correspond to a drillingfluid pump rate schedule according to which the drilling fluid pumpdischarges the drilling fluid through the discharge piping. At 306, apressure control device is adjusted to modify the pressure of thedrilling fluid in the discharge piping to approach the target pressureparameter by at least partially opening the pressure control device andreleasing drilling fluid into a bypass piping at a selected flow rate,in response to determining that the target pressure parameter is notsatisfied. At 308, the drilling fluid flow rate in the discharge pipingis modified based on the pressure represented by the pressuremeasurement signals and the selected flow rate in the bypass piping suchthat the target pressure parameter of the drilling fluid in thedischarge piping is satisfied.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example architecture of the computersystem 106 of FIG. 1. The computer system includes one or moreprocessors 408 and a computer-readable medium 410 (for example, anon-transitory computer-readable medium) storing computer instructionsexecutable by the one or more processors 408 to transmit well data uphole based on bandwidth. The computer system can include one or morenetwork interfaces 402 and one or more input devices 404. The computersystem can also include one or more output devices 406, for example, thedisplay 122, and the like. The components of the computer system can becoupled by a bus 420.

A number of embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the disclosure. In some implementations,downhole pressure-while-drilling (PWD) data can be used to determine thepressure parameter as an alternative to or in addition to pressure inthe drilling rig standpipe 26. In addition, the drilling fluidcirculation system 100 and the computer system 106 can be implemented asa single system or as separate systems.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of killing a well, the method comprising: maintaining kill mud pressure in a discharge piping during a well kill operation by: receiving pressure measurement signals representative of a pressure of a kill mud discharged by at least one fluid pump into the discharge piping at a fluid flow rate, wherein the fluid pump has an inlet connected to the discharge piping and has an outlet connected to bypass piping; determining that a target pressure parameter of the kill mud in the discharge piping to kill the well is not satisfied; in response to determining that the target pressure parameter is not satisfied, adjusting a pressure control device to modify the pressure of the kill mud in the discharge piping to approach the target pressure parameter by at least partially opening the pressure control device and releasing kill mud into a bypass piping at a selected flow rate, wherein the pressure control device is connected at an inlet to the discharge piping and at an outlet to bypass piping; determining the selected flow rate at which the at least partially open pressure control device releases the kill mud by: identifying one or more data pairs, each data pair including a flow rate of kill mud through the bypass piping and a pressure in the bypass piping; providing the flow rate of kill mud through the bypass piping and the pressure in the bypass piping included in each data pair of the identified one or more data pairs as an input to a curve fit function; and executing the curve fit function to determine the selected flow rate at which the at least partially open pressure control device releases the kill mud; and modifying the kill mud flow rate in the discharge piping based on the pressure represented by the pressure measurement signals and the selected flow rate in the bypass piping such that the target pressure parameter of the kill mud in the discharge piping is satisfied.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is a Driller's method.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is a Wait and Weight method.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target pressure parameter in the discharge piping corresponds to a kill mud pipe pressure schedule according to which the fluid pump discharges the kill mud through the discharge piping, and wherein the method further comprises modifying the kill mud flow rate in the discharge piping based on the pressure represented by the pressure measurement signals and the selected flow rate to satisfy the drill pipe pressure schedule.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a subset of the plurality of data pairs; providing each flow rate of kill mud and each pressure in the bypass piping included in each data pair in the subset to a curve fit function; and executing the curve fit function to determine a modified kill mud flow rate.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: measuring a plurality of flow rates of kill mud through the bypass piping; measuring a plurality of pressures in the bypass piping, each pressure measured for a corresponding flow rate of the plurality of flow rates; and storing the plurality of flow rates and the plurality of pressures as a plurality of data pairs which include the identified one or more data pairs.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: measuring a flow rate at which the pressure relief device releases the kill mud; and comparing the flow rate to the selected flow rate.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting control signals to at least partially open the pressure control device to release the kill mud at the selected flow rate.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring the kill mud flow rate through the bypass piping.
 10. A system for killing a well, the system comprising: at least one surface fluid pump connected to discharge piping connected to an inlet of a wellbore, said pump operable to discharge kill mud through the discharge piping at a flow rate; a pressure control device having an inlet connected to the discharge piping and having an outlet connected to bypass piping; and a processor connected to the surface pump and the pressure control device, the processor operable to maintain kill mud pressure in the discharge piping during a well kill operation by: receiving pressure measurement signals representative of a pressure of a kill mud discharged by the pump into the discharge piping; determining that a target pressure parameter of the kill mud in the discharge piping to kill the well is not satisfied; in response to determining that the target pressure parameter is not satisfied, adjusting the pressure control device to modify the pressure of the kill mud in the discharge piping to approach the target pressure parameter by at least partially opening the pressure control device and releasing kill mud into the bypass piping at a selected flow rate; determining the selected flow rate at which the at least partially open pressure control device releases the kill mud by: identifying one or more data pairs, each data pair including a flow rate of kill mud through the bypass piping and a pressure in the bypass piping; providing the flow rate of kill mud through the bypass piping and the pressure in the bypass piping included in each data pair of the identified one or more data pairs as an input to a curve fit function; and executing the curve fit function to determine the selected flow rate at which the at least partially open pressure control device releases the kill mud; and modifying the kill mud flow rate in the discharge piping based on the pressure represented by the pressure measurement signals and the selected flow rate in the bypass piping such that the target pressure parameter of the kill mud in the discharge piping is satisfied.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the well kill operation comprises the Driller's method.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the well kill operation comprises the Wait and Weight method.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the target pressure parameter in the discharge piping corresponds to a kill mud pipe pressure schedule according to which the fluid pump discharges the kill mud through the discharge piping, and wherein the processor is operable to maintain kill mud pressure in the discharge piping during a well kill operation by modifying the kill mud flow rate in the discharge piping based on the pressure represented by the pressure measurement signals and the selected flow rate to satisfy the drill pipe pressure schedule.
 14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by a processor to perform operations comprising: maintaining kill mud pressure in a discharge piping during a well kill operation by: receiving pressure measurement signals representative of a pressure of a kill mud discharged by at least one fluid pump into the discharge piping at a fluid flow rate, wherein the fluid pump has an inlet connected to the discharge piping and has an outlet connected to bypass piping; determining that a target pressure parameter of the kill mud in the discharge piping to kill the well is not satisfied; in response to determining that the target pressure parameter is not satisfied, adjusting a pressure control device to modify the pressure of the kill mud in the discharge piping to approach the target pressure parameter by at least partially opening the pressure control device and releasing kill mud into a bypass piping at a selected flow rate, wherein the pressure control device is connected at an inlet to the discharge piping and at an outlet to bypass piping; determining the selected flow rate at which the at least partially open pressure control device releases the kill mud by: identifying one or more data pairs, each data pair including a flow rate of kill mud through the bypass piping and a pressure in the bypass piping; providing the flow rate of kill mud through the bypass piping and the pressure in the bypass piping included in each data pair of the identified one or more data pairs as an input to a curve fit function; and executing the curve fit function to determine the selected flow rate at which the at least partially open pressure control device releases the kill mud; and modifying the kill mud flow rate in the discharge piping based on the pressure represented by the pressure measurement signals and the selected flow rate in the bypass piping such that the target pressure parameter of the kill mud in the discharge piping is satisfied.
 15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the operations comprise a Driller's method.
 16. The medium of claim 14, wherein the operations comprise a Wait and Weight method. 